Unusual Circumstances
by Ikazuchi Touketsu
Summary: Everything turns upside-down when Nick becomes pregnant with Jeff's child. How will the couple cope with this unexpected situation?
1. Chapter 1

**New story! My sister suggested that I write this, and so here it is! I hear people enjoy Mpreg? :)**

**Hope you like it, and please review!**

**Oh, and by the way, I have a Tumblr for my fanfictions! It's called Ikazuchi-Touketsu if you want to follow me.**

* * *

Nick Romano lived a life of exceptional normality.

He lived in his family of six—three brothers named Oliver, Vincent, and Anthony, plus his parents plus himself. He was the only gay sibling as far as everyone knew, and his family generally accepted that.

He attended school at the prestigious Dalton Academy where he was well enough liked. He met his boyfriend, Jeff Griffin, in his freshman year at Dalton and the two of them had been going steady since.

And things were normal. At first.

A few weeks into junior year, things took a very strange turn…

It all started shortly after summer's end. Nick began to feel ill at random times every day. Sometimes, he woke up in the morning feeling extremely nauseous, but felt better almost immediately after spending half the morning hugging the toilet. Other days, he was nauseous all day long.

This went on for a while. He visited the doctor twice in three weeks to voice his concerns, but they always came up with zilch. Nick never had a temperature and he had no other symptoms besides the occasional nausea.

Well, except for one thing. He began to notice he was taking at least twice as many bathroom breaks as he normally did—before school, between classes, during classes, at lunch, and right after the final bell.

But when the doctor looked into this, he found nothing wrong. Nick was, medically speaking, perfectly fine.

Another problem was the fatigue. He was _always _tired, no matter how much sleep he got the night before. He began to make a habit out of sleeping through at least one class a day. He made the excuse that he was an insomniac, which wasn't true. But it wasn't like he had a real excuse.

Sometimes, at the most random times, he suddenly got intense cravings for certain foods. This was just _spectacular_, because once the nausea left him, he found that his appetite had pretty much doubled. Late at night, he suddenly craved cotton candy; in the middle of pre-calc, he daydreamed about mashed potatoes and gravy; when all he had to eat was cereal, his taste buds begged for crepes topped with blueberries; and the strangest, even though he hated the taste of it normally, he asked his mother to buy him baloney at the store one day.

He really started to worry, however, when his school uniform seemed to be getting smaller and smaller on him every week.

Was he simply gaining weight? He usually maintained his weight perfectly, no matter what he ate. His metabolism was fast and he never had to worry about weight gain before. But now he was having trouble buttoning his dress pants and he wished he didn't have to wear the belt.

When he connected the dots, the only conclusion he came up with was impossible. But the small nagging feeling in the back of his mind was enough to send him to a nearby free-clinic for reassurance.

He walked up to the receptionist desk, feeling extremely uncomfortable. She smiled at him and said, "Good afternoon, sir. May I help you?"

"Do I have to set up an appointment?" he asked. "I just have a question for a doctor…"

"Which one?" she asked.

"Any one," he answered. "Preferably one who works with…um…male anatomy and doesn't mind ridiculous questions?"

She smiled kindly. "Dr. Hawthorne may be able to help you," she decided. "He's on break right now…If it's truly only a question, I'm sure he can be of assistance." She stood up and made her way around the desk. "I'll show you to his office."

Dr. Hawthorne's office was located in the back of the clinic a short ways down a hallway. The receptionist pointed Nick to his door and returned to her desk hastily, having only left it for about half a minute.

Nick drew in a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in." The voice on the other side was deep, but not throaty.

Nick pushed open the door and walked into a room that appeared to be an office. There was a man seated behind an office desk, eating a lunch consisting of a very leafy sandwich, an apple, and a bag of sun chips.

He could only assume this was Dr. Hawthorne. "Um, h-hello, sir," Nick greeted anxiously. "I don't mean to intrude, but…I, um…I have just a quick question, if you could listen for just a moment?"

"Certainly," the man answered. He placed his sandwich on a paper plate.

Nick sighed nervously. "Is it is _at all _possible for a man to get pregnant?" He said it all at once, as fast as he could, yet his face was still searing with embarrassment before he finished.

Dr. Hawthorne raised an eyebrow. "Is this hypothetical?"

Nick was weak with shame. "I'm not stupid, I promise," he insisted. "I have a 4.0 GPA average. I just…things have been happening to me lately that I can't explain. I have…pregnancy symptoms." Nick almost wished he could just keel over and die. Now.

Dr. Hawthorne actually seemed to be considering it. "Well…actually, I've seen this sort of thing happen before. There're a few possibilities…" he trailed away as if in deep thought. "Yes, a man _can _get pregnant. If you think you might be, you should stick around and I'll run a couple tests."

The shame burning in Nick's chest was instantly replaced with horrible dread. Most of him had assumed it was a ridiculous question. He may have been happier if the doctor had laughed in his face.

But now, he might actually be pregnant?

…

The tests were simple enough. The doctor asked a lot of questions about Nick's sex life and similar. Afterwards, Nick took a traditional pregnancy test—with much discomfort and awkwardness just at the thought of what he was doing—and the doctor took a blood sample.

Then he waited for an hour. The anxiety was killing him. When he was finally called back to see the doctor, he almost had a heart attack.

He knew it wouldn't be good when Dr. Hawthorne asked him to sit down.

"Nick, I ran the appropriate tests, and there's no other way to put this…but you are indeed pregnant."

His heart stopped. "How is that possible?" he asked weakly. He imagined he would have been freaking out hysterically at this moment, denying everything and insisting the doctor was just an idiot who had no idea what he was doing. But instead, he felt nothing but subdued horror and panic.

"It's rare," Dr. Hawthorne began. "Your body is a hospitable environment, to put it simply. You have female-like internal sex organs that enable such a phenomenon to happen, despite the fact that you are a male. It almost never happens—the odds are one in a million."

"What can I do about it?" Nick asked. "Can I…get rid of it?"

"I can go over options with you," Dr. Hawthorne responded. "You're probably late into the first trimester."

"There are no options," Nick said resolutely. "If I can get rid of it, I'm getting rid of it." He couldn't even imagine going through nine whole months of pregnancy. It would be humiliating.

Dr. Hawthorne nodded sympathetically. "I understand," he said. "You'll need parental permission in the state of Ohio to get an abortion."

"I have to _tell _someone about this?" Nick asked, horrified.

"I'm sorry, but it's the law," Dr. Hawthorne said. "I'll write a note to explain everything, if it'll make things easier."

"Yes, please." He couldn't imagine explaining this. They'd never believe him.

"Are you going to tell your partner? The—other father?"

Nick shook his head. "If he doesn't have to know…I'd rather not," he said. He knew Jeff loved him, and if it really came down to it, he might be supportive of Nick in this insane situation. But what if he wasn't? Nick couldn't risk it. It could ruin everything.

"Well, I would advise telling him," Dr. Hawthorne said. "But you have every right to ignore my opinion."

"I'm sorry." He didn't want to have to kill this…fetus growing inside of him. But how could he not? It wasn't like he could remove it and let it grow somewhere else.

But, it occurred to him, this was _his _baby. His and Jeff's. It was a part of them both. Jeff's DNA was half of what made up this fetus. Did he have a right to know about its existence?

Except this wasn't happening to Jeff. Nick was the one stuck with the overwhelming task of pregnancy. It was his decision to make, not Jeff's.

Besides, ignorance is bliss, right? It might be better if Jeff never knew. Nick could terminate this mistake pregnancy and then they could get on with their lives. Nick would do everything he could to forget that he was a freak of nature.

_Would Jeff still love me if he knew?_

…

Nick brought the doctor's letter with him home that night. His chest felt like it might explode under all the emotional pressure. It was late by the time he pulled in car into the driveway.

Just as he walked in the door, his 19 year-old brother, Vincent greeted him with the regular teasing hostility. "Where've you been, Nicky? Your boyfriend was over here earlier. Said you had a date—I just told him you had better things to do."

_Shit. _He'd completely forgotten he was supposed to go to the movies with Jeff tonight. "Vince, I'm not in the mood," Nick snapped. He told Jeff never to take Vincent seriously, so he wasn't too worried about what his brother may have told Jeff. He was too stressed to dwell on such trivial things anyways. "Where are mom and dad?"

Vincent shrugged. Quick as the snake he was, Vincent snatched the letter Nick had clutched in his hand. "Hey, what's this?" he questioned obnoxiously.

"No!" Nick dove to retrieve the letter, but Vincent dodged and ran up the stairs, trying to read the letter on the way up. Nick ran after him. "Vincent, stop it! I'm serious! That's private!" His throat felt abnormally tight with his desperation.

"From the free clinic? What, did you get an STD?" Vincent jeered loudly.

"_Vincent! _I swear to God, I am not kidding around. Give it back!"

Vincent halted in his tracks before Nick managed to take back the letter. "You're _pregnant?" _he choked in disbelief.

"_Who's _pregnant?"

Nick whirled around to see his mother standing at the bottom of the stairs. Vincent widened his eyes and Nick swore he could have lost the will to live at that very moment.

_This wasn't how this was supposed to happen!_

"Vincent?" his mother demanded, narrowing her eyes. "Nick?"

Vincent casted a glance at Nick as if to say, "Oops." He wandered down the stairs reluctantly and handed the letter to his mom. "Apparently…Nick is."

She stared at Vincent incredulously for a moment before leaning over to read the letter. There was a long, agonizing, torturous silence as she did so.

Nick couldn't remember ever feeling so petrified in his life. When his mother finished reading and looked up at him very slowly, he could see the disgust in her eyes. "You…you're _pregnant?"_ she demanded, sounding furious.

"I…I didn't even know it was possible," he said in a soft, shrill whimper. "I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."

"You had sex with that boy?" she demanded. "And _without_ protection?"

"I'm sorry," Nick repeated.

"And now you're _pregnant?" _She said it with nothing but disbelief. "How the hell could this even happen?"

"I don't know," Nick answered in a tiny voice.

"This is _disgusting," _she spat. "You're my _son! _My pregnant son! It's disgusting!" she repeated, spitting as though the words left a foul taste on her tongue.

"I'm sorry!" he repeated yet again. "I want to get rid of it—but I need your permission…"

"I'm _not _associating my name with that _thing!" _she snapped. "This is your problem, Nick."

"But—"

"Get out."

Nick froze. "What?"

"I said get out. I don't want you in my house. You're _filthy_ and you're no son of mine! Get out!"

Vincent looked horrified. "Mom—!"

"Go to your room, Vincent," she snapped. "This doesn't concern you."

"You can't just kick him out!"

"I said _go to your room!" _she whirled on him furiously.

Vincent backed up warily and casted a remorseful look at Nick before fleeing to his bedroom, leaving Nick alone with his mother.

"Mom, please," Nick begged. "I didn't mean for this to happen!"

"I don't want to hear it!" she snapped. "Go, get out of my house!"

Nick hesitated fearfully. "Can't I pack some things, first?"

She glared for a moment as if considering this. "You have fifteen minutes. I expect you gone by then."

Nick nodded and bolted for his bedroom. _I can't believe this is happening to me. _The tears spilled over as he yanked a suit case from the closet and began to pile his things inside. He packed whatever he could fit—school uniforms, a few weekend outfits, undergarments… all while sobbing uncontrollably.

He was forced to leave behind some of his valuables such as his guitar, his keyboard, and most of his CDs. He couldn't fit them anywhere and he didn't _need _them like he needed clothing.

His mother was waiting by the front door. When he came downstairs with his suitcase, she opened the door to let him out, refusing to make eye contact with her son.

Scratch that. Apparently, Nick was no longer her son.

Nick tossed the suitcase in the back seat of his car before taking his place in the driver's seat. He was in no state to be driving right now—he could hardly see through the tears—but he couldn't stay here. So he started up the engine, brushed away the tears clouding his vision, and pulled out onto the road.

He went to Jeff's house almost by instinct. He didn't even think about it. By the time he arrived, the sun was long gone.

He parked a little ways up the street so as to not alarm Jeff's parents if they woke up and saw a strange vehicle in front of their home and walked back to Jeff's house. He didn't knock on the door—Jeff didn't sleep in the house itself—and went around back to the pool-house.

The Griffin's lived in a very classy and large home. There were three stories and every room was probably double the size of the rooms at Nick's house. Jeff's parents were considerably wealthy. In the backyard, they had an extravagant in ground swimming pool, and beside it was a completely refurnished pool-house where Jeff's bedroom-and-living-space was. Aside from his father, he was the only male in the house, so his parents allowed him to redo and redecorate the pool-house into new living quarters for himself so he could have some privacy.

In fact, this pool-house was where they'd lost their virginity to each other and, thanks to the privacy, they'd used it a few other times as well... Normally, that would be a fond memory, but now, all Nick could think about was the thing growing inside of him.

As he knocked at the door to the pool-house, it occurred to him vaguely that Jeff probably didn't have many late night visitors to his secluded little living space. He hoped he didn't freak him out.

The door eased open very slightly at first, then all the way to reveal the tall blonde Jeff. He was dressed in an opened button-down nightshirt and sweatpants. "Nick?" he greeted in surprise. He seemed to notice the tears on Nick's face and the surprise shifted to concern in the blink of an eye. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Nick said nothing and stepped into Jeff's welcoming arms and nuzzled against his chest. "My parents kicked me out," he sobbed softly.

"_What? _Why!" Jeff demanded softly. "What happened?"

Nick sniffed. He really had no choice at this point other than to carry out this whole pregnancy. His parents definitely didn't consent to the abortion. Not because they didn't want his baby dead—they'd probably _love_ that—but because they didn't want any association whatsoever with their freak of a son's homosexual love child.

He had to tell Jeff. There was no other option now.

"I have to talk to you," Nick said faintly, his voice fragile. It sounded like it could shatter to pieces any moment.

"Alright," Jeff said gently. He pulled Nick inside the pool-house and closed the door behind him.

Nick took a seat at the sofa and motioned for Jeff to sit next to him, to which the blonde complied. Nick made sure there was a comfortable distance between them.

"You're going to think I'm insane," Nick began. The terror he'd been feeling only too often today was creeping up on him again. "You aren't going to believe me. But I swear to God, I am not telling a sick joke."

"What is it, Nick?" Jeff demanded worriedly.

Nick stared down at his lap and said feebly, "I'm pregnant."

_Silence. _

Jeff stared at him in dumbfounded disbelief. "What…?"

Nick bit his lip to hold back more tears. "Please don't make me say it again."

Again, Jeff seemed lost for words. "I don't understand," he said with dumb shock. "Pregnant…? How is that possible?"

"I don't know." Nick's voice broke. "The doctor said something about my internal sex organs…and my body is a hospitable environment for a…a fetus…" Tears overflowed in his eyes again. "I wanted to get rid of it, but my mom freaked out when she learned about it. She called me filthy. And she kicked me out." By now he was fighting back the sobs threatening to burst from his chest. "I'm a _freak!"_

He expected Jeff to be stunned. He expected sheer disbelief. And a part of him expected Jeff to break up with him on the spot.

He _didn't _expect what actually happened, which was this: Jeff leaned over, pulled Nick into his arms, and hugged him tightly. "You're _not _a freak," he insisted sternly, yet gently. "You're beautiful and perfect in every way." |

"I'm supposed to be a guy!" Nick sobbed. "But I'm…I'm some sort of wacked-up _she-male!" _he half protested. "How could you possibly love me?"

"I don't love you for those things, Nick," Jeff answered. "I love you for _you_. And I promise I'll be here for you, no matter what happens or what you decide." He kissed Nick's forehead. "I'll admit, I never in a million years saw this coming…but we can face it together. I promise."

Nick sniffled. "I was going to abort it," he admitted. He was calmed significantly by Jeff's supportive words. "But I can't without parental permission. So I have to keep it."

"That's okay," Jeff said. He gave Nick an affectionate squeeze. "It'll be _our _baby. Mine and yours. In a way, we're lucky! Most gay guys don't have that chance."

Nick smiled faintly through the tears. "I suppose so." He let out a trembling sigh and the smile disappeared. "Jeff, I'm scared," he whimpered plaintively. "I'm seventeen. I'm a _boy. _I'm not ready for this."

Jeff held Nick tighter. "I know," he murmured. "I'm sorry…I wish I could do more to help…"

Nick breathed Jeff's comforting scent that wreathed around him. "You're doing perfectly right now," he told him. "I love you so much, Jeff."

"I love you too," Jeff murmured. "No matter what." He leaned back a little and placed his hands on Nick's shoulders. "It's late. Let's get some sleep. We can tell my parents tomorrow."

Nick sighed. "Oh, right," he mumbled. "There _are _still more people who need to know about this, aren't there? Just fantastic…"

"Don't worry," Jeff soothed. "They'll understand. But even if they don't, I won't let you do this alone. You can stay with me no matter what they say."

Nick nodded, but despite his best efforts, he couldn't smile. "Thank you."

"You shouldn't thank me. This is half my fault…"

"We're both equally at fault," Nick reasoned. "We were stupid enough as it was for not using a condom… how many times have we been told it was dangerous? We just never imagined that _this _would be the consequence."

"But you're the one with the hard end of the deal," Jeff said remorsefully. "I'm so sorry…"

Nick couldn't even bring himself to deny that. This _was _completely unfair for him. He was the one who would have to deal with the humiliation, the pain, the judgmental stares… Jeff, on the other hand, just had to _be _there. That was the easy job.

But it wasn't his fault that he had the easy part. "It's okay," Nick said. "I don't blame you. Now how about that sleep you mentioned? I've had a really long day."

And this one long day was probably just the first of _many…_


	2. Chapter 2

Nick opened his eyes and was confused for a moment when he realized he wasn't in his own bedroom. This was Jeff's bedroom in the pool house, brightly colored with hues of lilac, pink, and cotton candy blue. The walls on either side of the bed were a bright lilac and the other two walls were ocean blue. The bed sheets matched the walls, with a bright lilac comforter and blue pillows. The carpet was a soft, subtle shade of pink.

It had been a designing error of some sort back when the Griffin's were first remodeling the pool house, but Jeff hadn't minded the ridiculously bright colors. He'd kept the walls painted as they were and bought the matching bedspreads himself. Nick suspected that his blonde boyfriend actually really liked the vibrancy it brought to his bedroom.

The room wasn't very large. There was just enough room to fit the large double bed, two nightstands, and a full-sized white dresser topped with a mirror against the wall across from the foot of the bed.

Nick pushed the purple comforter aside and sat up groggily. Surely yesterday was nothing but a dream? He should be waking up in _his _bedroom right now, not Jeff's. Everything that had happened to him yesterday was just a messed up nightmare.

But if that was true, he wouldn't be here. Nick looked down at his abdomen and tentatively brushed a hand across his stomach. There was the slightest bump there, barely noticeable through his clothes. He _was_ late into the first trimester, after all. It wouldn't be long before this tiny bump became a huge bulge, assuming there really was a fetus growing inside of him.

He looked to Jeff's side of the bed to find that his boyfriend wasn't there. He looked to the clock on the nightstand which read 8:48 AM. For a moment, he thought he thought he must have slept in late and he was supposed to be at school before he remembered it was the weekend.

So where was Jeff at?

He pulled himself to his feet, realizing he was still dressed in his clothes from yesterday, jeans and all. His shoes sat on the ground near the foot of the bed. Nick walked out of the bedroom into the living room in search of Jeff and found the blonde just as he was entering the pool house. He was carrying Nick's suitcase that he'd left in his car last night.

"Oh, Nick," he greeted. "I was going to let you sleep in… I didn't wake you, did I?"

Nick shook his head. "I woke up a few minutes ago, wondering why you were gone."

"I was getting your things. Is this all you were able to pack?" Jeff motioned to the suitcase.

"Yeah… My mom gave me 15 minutes. I only packed what I really needed, which was mostly clothes." He paused. "Except I probably won't fit into most of my clothes for much longer," he mumbled unhappily.

"I'm sorry," Jeff murmured. "Maybe we can take a trip back to your place and get some of your other things? Your parents won't have to find out. One of your brothers could let us in."

"Assuming my mother hasn't burned my possessions before then," Nick said almost to himself. To Jeff, he said, "Let's not worry about it. I didn't leave behind anything particularly valuable."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I would have grabbed my instruments if I had the chance, but it doesn't matter. You've got the same ones and more here."

"Alright." Jeff brought the suitcase across the living room and into his room. "If you think of anything you want or need, we can go get it."

Nick nodded and dropped his gaze to the floor. It was impossible to pretend like nothing was wrong. "All of this seems so surreal," he mumbled to the ground. "I can't believe this is even happening." It was like he was deeply submerged in an ocean of helpless despair and he was absolutely powerless to do anything about it. His only option was to endure this entire pregnancy for the full nine months.

"I know," Jeff murmured sympathetically. He came out of his room and drew Nick into a warm embrace. "Just remember that I'm here for you, 100% of the way."

Nick closed his eyes and leaned into the embrace, breathing in Jeff's comforting scent. "I love you," he whispered croakily. His voice was broken, but he felt no tears coming. Maybe he'd cried himself dry last night.

"I love you, too," Jeff responded softly. He stroked Nick's back soothingly and said, "Are you ready to tell my family?"

"Now is as good as any other time," Nick sighed, pulling out of Jeff's arms. "Let's get this over with."

"Don't worry," Jeff assured. "They'll understand." With that, he led the way out of the pool house, through the backyard, and into the main house. There was a home intercom box set up on the wall in the entryway and Jeff pressed the 'talk' button on it. "Mom, dad?" he said to the box. His house _was _awfully large, so they often used this intercom system to communicate when they needed to. It was faster and easier than searching the house trying to find who you needed to talk to.

There was a long pause before the intercom answered him in his mother's voice. "Yes? Jeff, is that you?"

"Yeah," Jeff answered. "Can you come to the first floor living room with dad? There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Of course," his mother responded. "We'll be right down."

Jeff motioned to Nick to follow him and the two of them went to the living room to wait. Nick sat down on the loveseat and clutched at his stomach. "Ugh. I'm not sure if this is morning sickness or if I'm just really nervous," he groaned. His stomach felt like it was doing somersaults.

"Do you need a trash can?" Jeff didn't wait for a response and grabbed the garbage can in the corner and brought it to Nick. Nick set it down between his knees, but he figured he was safe from throwing up—he hadn't eaten anything in almost a day. Jeff sat next to him and said once again, "They'll understand. Just relax."

Nick nodded stiffly, but he was unable to relax. If this didn't go well, he could very well become homeless. And what if they got angry at Jeff the way Nick's mother had gotten angry at him? What if they kicked him out, too? It would be all Nick's fault.

It wasn't long before Jeff's parents entered the room. They noticed Nick and their wondering expressions became confused. "What is it you wanted to talk to us about?" Jeff's mother asked.

Jeff motioned for them to sit at the sofa perpendicular to the loveseat, to which they complied. Jeff glanced at Nick and gave him a reassuring nudge before turning to his parents. "Well, you two know that Nick and I have been together since freshman year," he began calmly. "And…there's something you need to know."

Nick stared down at his knees, too terrified to make eye contact with anyone in the room. He heard Jeff's father say, "What is it?"

"Nick is…anatomically different from most guys," Jeff explained as delicately as possible. "Um, he apparently has female internal sex organs. And—I swear I'm being completely serious—he's pregnant. With our baby."

Jeff's words were met by silence. Nick snuck a look at them through the tops of his eyes to see they looked absolutely baffled, glancing back and forth between their son and his freak of a boyfriend. "You're pregnant?" Jeff's mother said to Nick.

Nick nodded fearfully. "Yes," he answered in a tiny voice. Jeff wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders.

"His parents kicked him out," Jeff explained. "He has nowhere else to go. Can he stay here with us?"

"Of course he can," Jeff's mother answered without hesitation. Nick looked up at her with surprise as she went on. "Why would his parents have kicked him out? They're going to be grandparents!"

"Y-you guys are okay with this?" Nick gasped. She actually seemed almost _happy _about it.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Jeff's father said. "Sure, it isn't _expected, _but it's nothing to get upset or angry about. Although you should have been more careful." He eyed Jeff accusingly.

Jeff grimaced sheepishly. "We know… Sorry."

"What's done is done," he sighed.

"So you're keeping it?" Jeff's mother cut in.

"I have to," Nick answered. His heart felt light as a helium balloon now with the relief that they were accepting of this situation. "I need parental permission, and my parents wouldn't give it."

"Maybe it's for the best," she said. "We're going to be _grandparents! _I've been waiting for either Paris or Brooke to have children; I didn't expect Jeff would be the first of my kids to give me grandchildren."

Nick couldn't bring himself to share her enthusiasm, though. Paris or Brooke—Jeff's two older sisters, aged 21 and 19 respectively—_should _be the ones who were pregnant, not Nick. He was a _boy _and he was only 17. He wasn't supposed to bear this sort of burden.

"How far along are you? Do you know the gender?"

Nick shrugged. "Almost through the first trimester, I think. And no, I don't." He paused and glanced at Jeff. "That reminds me, I should go see Dr. Hawthorne again."

"Who's that?" Jeff asked.

"He's the doctor I talked to at the clinic. He said he's dealt with cases like mine before," Nick said. "I told him I was going to get an abortion, but since that's not happening, maybe he could be my practitioner."

"Oh," Jeff said. "I'll come with you." He looked to his parents.

"You two go ahead," his mother said. "We'll tell the girls about everything while you're out."

_Oh, joy. More people get to know! _

Nick said, "I'll drive."

…

Dr. Hawthorne seemed happy to speak with Nick again. He explained his situation with his parents and Jeff's family, and Dr. Hawthorne was sympathetic.

"I'm sorry things went badly with your parents," he apologized. "I'm happy you found a place to stay, and I'm glad your partner took it well, though."

"Yeah, he's really great." Nick looked to Jeff with a tiny smile. "But, um… I was wondering, Dr. Hawthorne, if you could be my practitioner?"

"I would love to," Dr. Hawthorne responded. "I'm probably the only doctor in Ohio that knows how to deal with this sort of thing, anyways."

"Thank you," Nick breathed.

"If you would just stick around a little, I'll get you down for your first ultrasound," he suggested. "You're actually quite overdue for one. I can also run a few small tests, just to make sure things are going smoothly and to determine exactly how far along you are."

"Alright," Nick agreed. And so he submitted to the tests. If he absolutely hadto have this baby, he _would_ like for it to be healthy...

Jeff was beside him when it was time for the ultrasound. He lied on a somewhat uncomfortable examination bed and was told to lift his shirt to reveal the tiny baby bump and push down the waistband of his pants slightly. A cool, clear gel was slathered on his stomach and Dr. Hawthorne pressed a ball-shaped camera to his abdomen. The screen in front of him suddenly lit up into a black and white picture. Dr. Hawthorne focused on the screen, moving around the little camera until a shape materialized.

"And there it is!" Dr. Hawthorne announced. He examined the screen thoughtfully. "I'd say you're at 11 weeks pregnant. It's still a little too early to tell the gender."

Nick gaped at the screen. A part of him must have doubted it was true, because he couldn't believe his eyes. But there it was. It looked like a tiny alien more than a human. "That thing is really _inside _me?"

Jeff was staring at the screen in awe. "It really looks like a tiny person," he murmured. "I can see the head and the arms and the legs… I can't believe it. That's _our _baby, Nick. It's real."

"Of course it's real," Dr. Hawthorne said before Nick could respond. "And as far as I can see, everything seems fine. Nick is healthy, and so is the baby. The only thing I'd worry about is your weight."

"My weight?" Nick echoed. "What's wrong with it?"

"You're a few pounds underweight for where you're at in your pregnancy."

"Underweight?" Nick repeated in disbelief. "I barely fit into my school uniform anymore!"

"Yes, well, you should gain around five to ten pounds in the first trimester. Afterwards, you _should _gain about a pound a week for the rest of your pregnancy, totaling to 25-35 pounds—give or take a few—gained for your entire pregnancy."

Nick threw his head back against the examination bed with a groan. "I'm going to become a freaking blimp!"

Dr. Hawthorne paused the screen where it was at, showing a perfect image of the tiny alien parasite, and took the camera off of Nick's abdomen. He handed him a towel to wipe away the cold gel. "Do either of you have any questions?"

"Yes," Nick said instantly. "Um… How exactly is it supposed to...er…come out?" he asked warily.

"You'll have a planned caesarean section, of course," Dr. Hawthorne answered.

Nick's breath caught. "S-so, they're going to _cut me open?" _

Dr. Hawthorne seemed to notice Nick's horror at the idea, along with Jeff who reached over to squeeze his boyfriend's hand reassuringly. "It's perfectly safe," Dr. Hawthorne assured soothingly. "There's absolutely nothing to worry about. You won't feel a thing throughout the procedure. It's virtually painless. In fact, some people prefer it for that reason."

Nick drew in a deep breath to calm himself. _I can handle it, _he told himself. He wiped away the remainder of the gel and pulled his shirt back down. "Are you _sure _there's no pain?" he asked untrustingly as he sat up.

"Absolutely," Dr. Hawthorne answered. "At the most, you'll feel some discomfort during the procedure. And the healing process is a little longer and harder than most, but you'll be given painkillers to help you with that."

Nick breathed an uneasy sigh. "Well, it's not like I've got other options at this point," he muttered to himself. He looked at Jeff. "Are we ready to leave yet?"

"Wait," Dr. Hawthorne said suddenly. "Actually, it completely slipped my mind, but you _do _have another option."

Nick blinked at Dr. Hawthorne. "What other option?"

"Even though you didn't get parental permission, you _could _still, in theory, get an abortion. All you have to do is get court approval."

"How do I do that?" Nick asked, a little too eagerly, standing from the examination bed.

"Just convince the court that it's in your best interest to abort the fetus. I'm sure any judge would agree, in regard to your…circumstances," Hawthorne explained. "I could get you a court order by the end of the week. But, mind you, I _do _have everything under control. You _can _still have a completely normal and healthy son or daughter if you choose against getting an abortion."

Nick opened his mouth to respond—he was _sure _he wanted nothing more than to get rid of this parasite inside of him—but now, for some reason, he didn't know. He closed his mouth and casted an uncertain glance at Jeff. His blonde boyfriend appeared anxious and a little troubled.

Dr. Hawthorne said, "I'll give you two a moment to discuss this, if you would like?"

Nick nodded. "Yes, please," he said. Dr. Hawthorne nodded and bowed out of the room, closing the door behind him. Nick waited until he was gone before turning back to face Jeff, who was now gazing at the small ultrasound screen, his expression unreadable.

"What do you think, Jeff?" Nick asked nervously. "Should I get rid of it?"

Jeff sighed and looked Nick in the eye. "I told you; I'm on board with whatever you decide," he answered simply.

"But I'm not sure what to decide," Nick protested. "Help me decide."

Jeff shook his head. "No, Nick, I don't want you to regret whatever decision you make. I'm not the one who has to be pregnant."

"But you're _half _of that fetus—I mean baby's DNA, Jeff. Like you said—it's ours. Not just mine."

"But I'm not carrying it," Jeff pointed out. "I'm not the one who was kicked out by his parents for being pregnant. I'm not the one who has to go through nine months of pregnancy symptoms. I'm not the one who has to gain 35 pounds. I'm not the one who's going to be sliced open once those nine months are up. This _isn't _my decision, Nick, it's yours."

"But…" Nick trailed away uncertainly, eyes wandering to the floor. How was he supposed to decide this on his own? He didn't know what he wanted anymore. He thought abortion was the only option, but now, seeing Jeff's reaction to the ultrasound…_knowing _that there really was a real human life forming inside of him… He saw it with his own eyes.

Nick began to pace.

Even if he aborted it, he knew his family wouldn't take him back. It was too late for that. He'd still be stuck living with Jeff's family, if they'd let him. But he wouldn't have to go through the humiliation of being a pregnant male if he got the abortion. He wouldn't have to have a C-section. He wouldn't have to worry about the responsibility of parenting. He wouldn't gain 35 pounds. He could go back to being _normal._

But there was a life inside of him. A life he created with the person he loved. It was his son or daughter. This baby could be a light in his life. Weren't people meant to love and cherish their children? So far, he couldn't really muster up any love for it, but maybe that was normal this early on? And, sure, Nick wasn't ready to be a father so soon, but it wasn't like he didn't have any help. If he aborted this baby, what if he regretted it for the rest of his life?

"I can't!" Nick cried suddenly. "I can't decide! It's too big of a decision to make by myself!" He plopped down on the bed once again and buried his face in his hands. "You said you'd be here for me," he sobbed. "I can't do this alone, Jeff. I need help."

Jeff placed himself beside Nick and enveloped him in his arms. "I _am _here," Jeff whispered gently. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. We'll decide what to do together, OK? Shh… It's okay…"

Nick couldn't pull himself together. He wished he didn't have to make _any_ decisions. He wished this would all just disappear and fade away, like waking from a nightmare. He wished he didn't have to go through this at all. If he could go back in time and change everything, he would.

The door opened and Dr. Hawthorne entered the room. He paused in the doorway and said, "Is everything alright in here…?"

Jeff looked over at Dr. Hawthorne. "This…isn't an easy decision to make," he explained simply.

"Oh," Dr. Hawthorne murmured, his voice understanding. "You two _don't _have to decide this right now, you know. It isn't a decision to take lightly."

Nick wiped the tears from his face and looked at Dr. Hawthorne. "How long do we have to decide?"

"As long as you need," Dr. Hawthorne answered. "But I recommend, if you _do _get an abortion, you do it before the end of the second trimester."

So that gave him about three months to decide? Nick nodded to show he understood. "Alright. We'll discuss it."

"Take your time," Hawthorne said. "Call me when you've made a decision, or if you just have any questions or concerns."

Nick nodded yet again and got to his feet. "I want to go home now." He didn't wait for a reply and dodged around Dr. Hawthorne towards the door.

Jeff stood as well. "Er, I guess we're going now," he said apologetically to Dr. Hawthorne as he followed after Nick. "I'll call you if anything comes up."

"OK, bye," Dr. Hawthorne called after them. "Good luck."

Nick didn't speak on the drive home. He didn't want to face this decision right now. It had been easier when he thought he would be the only person who would be affected by the abortion, but now Jeff and his family were involved. His parents were _happy _at the prospect of becoming grandparents, and Jeff had been awestruck by the ultrasound.

Why couldn't _Nick_ bring himself to feel even remotely happy about this baby?

* * *

**Hope you liked it!**

** Remember to review and tell me what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hope you like the new chapter! **

**I may not have the next one out as soon as you might like... I'm going back to school in a few days, and I have a feeling it's going to take up a lot of my time, but don't worry! I'm not going to stop writing in this, or my other Niff fanfics. You'll just have to be a little more patient with me :)**

**Also, as always, don't forget to review!**

* * *

The morning after Nick's first ultrasound was Monday. Nick was awakened an hour earlier than necessary by a nasty bout of morning sickness, which left him feeling weak and tired and longing to just go back to bed and forget school. He forced himself to stay awake, however, and dressed in his school uniform before following Jeff to the main house for breakfast.

Jeff's mother had made homemade waffles with real maple syrup, Nutella, whip cream, and strawberries. Normally, Nick would have loved sitting down to such a delicious meal, but this morning, just the smell of it had him ready to puke again for the fifth time this morning.

Jeff's mother offered him a plate and he shook his head guiltily. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Griffin, but I'm _really _not hungry this morning," he apologized.

She smiled kindly. "Morning sickness?" she guessed.

Nick nodded, trying hard not to wrinkle his nose at the horribly overwhelming smell of the waffles.

"I had terrible morning sickness for all four of my pregnancies," she said sympathetically. "It usually goes away by the second trimester, although when I was pregnant with Jeff here, I was sick almost the entire nine months." She sent a teasingly accusing look at her only son, who was seated at the kitchen island helping himself to some breakfast.

Nick winced at the idea. "Oh, God, I can't imagine going through another six whole months of _this," _he groaned.

"Don't worry, you probably won't," Mrs. Griffin assured. "I was just one of the unlucky ones. Yours will most likely start to fade off very soon, since you're nearly in your second trimester yourself."

_Not with my luck. _

He felt like if something _could _go wrong, it definitely would. It was just a matter of time.

Footsteps suddenly pounded down the stairs and within seconds, Jeff's 13 year-old twin sisters, Harper and Avery, came thundering into the kitchen. They both halted when they saw Nick. "Nicky, hi!" Avery exclaimed excitedly.

"How's the baby? Mom told us about it," Harper asked curiously.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Avery asked. "I hope it's a girl!"

"How's it gonna be born, if you're a boy?"

"You _are _going to keep it, right?"

"How far along are you anyways?"

"Girls!" Mrs. Griffin interrupted them sternly. "Leave the poor boy alone, give him some space. He may not want to answer these questions yet."

The girls sagged with disappointment. "Sorry, Nick," they both said.

Nick smiled uncomfortably, although he was relieved their mother had stepped in before their questions got too out of control. "The doctor said it's healthy," Nick answered. "But we don't know the gender. And those are the only questions I'm comfortable answering."

The girls looked ready to ask more questions, but held their tongues at the scorching look their mother gave them. They left Nick alone and helped themselves to some food.

"I'm going to just wait in the living room," Nick announced. He was afraid that if he stayed in the kitchen much longer, he'd ruin everyone's breakfast by puking on the floor. He didn't wait for anyone to respond and ducked out of the kitchen. The living room was far enough from the kitchen that Nick couldn't smell the waffles at all anymore. He sat at one of the sofas and rested his head against the cushion, already feeling exhausted. And he still had the whole day to get through.

Jeff soon finished breakfast and came out to check on Nick. "We should get going soon," he said softly. He sat beside Nick. "You doing alright?"

"Peachy," Nick mumbled sarcastically.

"I'm sorry about Harper and Avery," he apologized. "You know how they can get. They don't mean any harm."

"I know," Nick said, sitting up straight. "I wasn't offended or anything. But I'm overwhelmed enough as it is without being bombarded with questions, some of which I don't even know the answers to."

Jeff nodded understandingly. "I'll make sure they direct their questions towards me, then," he decided. "Does that sound better?"

Nick shrugged indifferently. He looked at Jeff. "When they asked about the gender, I almost answered that it was a girl, even though Dr. Hawthorne said it was too early to tell the gender," he said almost conversationally.

Jeff blinked and cocked his head slightly. "Why? Do you want a girl…?"

Nick shook his head. "No. I honestly don't care at all what the gender is. Boy, girl, intersex, or even genderless, I couldn't care less. But I just have a really strong feeling it's a girl."

"You do?" Jeff said. "I wonder why that is…"

"It's weird, I know," Nick said. "Which do you want? Boy or girl?"

"I don't mind, as long as it's healthy," Jeff said. "But…since I grew up as the only boy around four sisters, I wouldn't mind having a boy."

"A boy sounds more likely," Nick admitted. "We're both guys—for the most part. And I have three brothers and no sisters. But still, I just have a feeling that it isn't a boy."

"Well, we'll find out soon enough," Jeff said conclusively. "We should go now or we'll be late to school."

Nick sighed heavily and got to his feet. "Fine."

Jeff drove, partially thanks to the fact that Nick was dealing with extreme fatigue and morning sickness. Jeff's mom had given Nick a barf bag just in case there was anything left in his stomach to vomit up during the car ride to school.

They went to get coffee as they normally did in Dalton's café.

"Good morning, may I take your order?" asked the man at the register.

"I'll have a medium mocha latte," Jeff said.

"Large Caramel macchiato," Nick said simply for himself.

Jeff glanced at Nick then back at the barista. "Err, make the macchiato decaf."

Nick shot a glare at Jeff. "_What?" _To the barista, he said, "Hold on just a second, please." He took Jeff to the side.

"You can't have caffeine when you're…pregnant," Jeff whispered, dropping his voice even lower at the last word.

"Yes, I can!" Nick snapped, also whispering. "I've had coffee every morning before I even knew I was pregnant, and it's still healthy. Obviously, it hasn't done any harm."

"But I read that it heightens your chances of miscarrying," Jeff argued.

"I don't care!" Nick hissed heartlessly. "I _need _caffeine."

Jeff seemed taken aback by Nick's blunt response. "You don't care if you miscarry?"

"That's not what I meant," Nick muttered. "It's just a risk I'm willing to take. You have no clue how bad the fatigue is most days!"

"That's a pretty big risk for the occasional cup of coffee," Jeff pointed out unfairly.

"Well, at least if I miscarried, I won't have to worry about abortion anymore," Nick snapped in an undertone. Out loud to the barista, he said, "Forget the macchiato." With that, he turned and stormed from the Dalton coffee shop.

…

Nick spent his Monday at school exhausted, as predicted. Several teachers asked him if he was ill, and many students learned to leave him alone after he snapped at the few who dared speak to him. Luckily, though, nobody could guess he was pregnant yet. It'd still be a while before it became too obvious to hide, and he planned to milk every moment of ignorance possible. People would begin to assume Nick was simply gaining weight in a few weeks, and he'd _probably _have to start telling people near the third trimester. Needless to say, he dreaded the day people learned the truth.

He refused to look at Jeff for the rest of the day, and the car ride home, Nick said nothing, despite Jeff's efforts to make him talk to him.

"How was your day?" he asked conversationally as Nick buckled his seatbelt. Of course, Nick didn't respond and instead stared out the window. After a long silence, Jeff sighed and started up the car. "Are you just going to ignore me?"

_Yep. _He didn't know why he felt so angry. It seemed silly, really, but Nick refused to admit that to anyone, including himself. He was tired and moody and he wanted to go home and sleep.

After a few minutes of silence, Jeff said, "Look, Nick, I'm _sorry _about this morning with the coffee." He glanced over at Nick briefly before turning his eyes back to the road. When Nick still didn't respond, he said, "You can have caffeine if you want… I'm in no place to make you give it up. It probably won't do any harm anyways…" He paused again, waiting for a response. When Nick still refused to even look at him, he said, "Come on. Say something, please?"

Nick still kept his mouth shut, although he honestly had no idea why. Jeff had apologized and admitted he was wrong. This was usually the moment where you were supposed to say, "Thank you, I'm glad you see it my way." But Nick just didn't want to talk yet.

They arrived home and Nick dropped his school things on the dining room table and nosedived for the couch. Screw homework, he needed sleep. Nobody said a word to him as he curled up on the sofa and closed his eyes and he was able to drift into a light slumber in a matter of moments.

He awoke around two hours later thanks to a growling stomach—it was safe to say the nausea had left him. He opened his eyes to a dimly-lit living room. The television was on, but it was muted with captions. Without sitting up, Nick glanced to the other end of the sofa to see that Jeff was sitting there, watching the muted TV.

His anger from today forgotten, Nick sat up and crawled closer to Jeff to lay his head on his boyfriend's lap. Jeff looked away from the television and smiled down at Nick. "Well, hello there, handsome," he greeted softly. "Have a nice nap?"

"Splendid," Nick answered. "Just what the doctor ordered."

"And you're speaking to me again?"

Nick smiled sheepishly. "Maybe a little."

Jeff breathed a laugh. "Good to know. I missed your voice today."

Nick suddenly frowned. "I'm sorry I got so mad at you," he apologized regretfully. "I was just tired and cranky today. It wasn't your fault."

"Well, I shouldn't have tried to take coffee away from you," Jeff reasoned. "I know _I_ probably couldn't go without it... Besides, caffeine is safe enough as long as you drink it in moderation. A macchiato in the morning is nothing to fret over."

"Yeah, well, I still shouldn't have treated you so badly," Nick pointed out.

"It was a silly argument," Jeff agreed. "Let's leave it at that."

"Sounds good." Nick sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Anyways, I'm starving. Any chance we can eat dinner soon?"

"My mom is cooking right now," Jeff answered. "It should be done soon."

Nick was a little disappointed at the idea of waiting. He was actually hungry for a change, and he _wasn't _nauseous anymore. Nick sighed impatiently and said, "Alright, fine. I'll just get started on my homework, I guess." He grabbed his bag from the floor beside the couch and brought it over to the dining room.

The only homework he had tonight was in Algebra II, which was simple enough. It was just a page of questions from the textbook, so he took out some notebook paper and opened his textbook to get started. Jeff joined him in the dining room so he could catch up on some reading in their assigned book in English Lit., which he was falling slightly behind in. Nick had finished the book a week after he got it while Jeff was a few chapters behind the rest of the class.

Towards the last few questions in his algebra homework, Nick began to get a little frustrated. The last five were much more complicated than the 25 questions before it. He found himself erasing constantly, feeling increasingly stressed with every mistake he scribbled on the paper. Then, at question #34, the piece of notebook paper was too worn to withstand another attack from the eraser and a small hole tore through all of Nick's hard work.

Normally, erasing a hole into the page was a cause for momentary anger and annoyance which was quickly forgotten and dismissed, however resentfully. Nick's reaction, however, was far from normal: he threw his pencil aside, and without any warning whatsoever, he burst out crying.

Jeff looked up from his book, appearing slightly alarmed. "Nick, what's wrong?" he demanded worriedly, pushing his book aside. "What happened?"

"I ripped the paper," he blubbered almost incoherently. It occurred to him somewhere in his head how absolutely ridiculous this was, to cry over a tiny hole torn in a piece of notebook paper. But right now, for whatever crazy reason, it was utterly devastating to him.

Jeff suddenly looked very confused. "What…?"

Nick shoved his homework at Jeff. "I ripped it!" he wailed tearfully.

Jeff glanced at the paper bewilderedly. "Nick, it's just a little tear," he pointed out insensitively. "There's no reason to get so worked up."

This just made him sob harder. He _knew _this was stupid, and he felt like an idiot for crying in the first place, but he could stop. It only made it worse that Jeff didn't seem to understand. But then, how could he when _Nick_ didn't even understand why he was so worked up over a ripped scrap of paper?

"It's easy to fix," Jeff assured in a softer tone. He fished a roll of clear tape out of his school messenger bag and laid the paper down flat on the table. It only took a tiny piece of tape to seal the hole back together. "See? Good as new." He waved the repaired paper at Nick and passed it back to him.

Nick sniffled and tried to stifle the tears, but he wasn't even upset about the paper anymore. He was so humiliated for crying over something so stupid that he was now crying out of mortification. It was a vicious circle, really. "I'm s-sorry," Nick sobbed. "I don't know what's wrong with me…"

Jeff smiled sympathetically, stood from his seat, and made his way around the table to hold his distraught boyfriend in his arms and let him cry it out. It was a good ten minutes before he managed to calm himself down to just sniffles, and Jeff sat beside him at the table just in case there was another 'emergency.'

Jeff's mother came out to the dining room to inform them that dinner was ready when she noticed Nick and his watery red eyes and tearstained cheeks. "Oh, honey, what's the matter?" she asked worriedly.

Nick sniffed. "Nothing," he mumbled quietly.

She crossed her arms and didn't move, obviously rejecting that response. Nick glanced at Jeff uncertainly before speaking again. "I ripped a hole in my homework paper…"

For a moment, she didn't look like she believed him. Thankfully, though, her face quickly became understanding. "Oh, I see," she mused. "Don't feel too bad, darling, you're just dealing with pregnancy hormones. It's completely normal."

"It's _normal_ to sob hysterically over something as ridiculous as accidentally ripping a piece of paper?" Nick said incredulously.

"Thank your hormones," she said lightly. "They'll sometimes make you burst into tears at the drop of a hat! When I was pregnant with the twins, I couldn't even watch television anymore because half the commercials left me sobbing." She smiled at him. "It's one of the many _joys_ of pregnancy. Not to mention you've been going through a lot of stress and confusion these past few days. The occasional crying episode is perfectly normal."

Nick nodded, feeling somewhat relieved. He _wasn't_ crazy or unreasonably overemotional and unstable. Just pregnant.

He wasn't sure if that was better or not.

Jeff's mother had made a delicious dinner of spaghetti and meatballs with salted breadsticks. Nick was too hungry to dwell on his mental breakdown earlier, and Jeff seemed just as happy to forget it as well.

Nick was given a slightly larger portion than the others thanks to the fact that he hadn't eaten anything at all today and he had a little parasite inside him that he was eating for.

He polished off his plate and finished the last two questions of his homework, this time without tearing the page. After showers, he and Jeff then retreated to the pool house for the night.


End file.
